Palaeo-science in the Pyrenees at PAGES YSM 2017

I recently attend the PAGES (Past Global Changes) YSM (Young Scientists Meeting) as well as the OSM (Open Science Meeting) 2017 in sunny Spain. The YSM was particularly exciting – a group of 80 early career researchers met in the Pyrenees, at the restored village of Morillo de Tou.

Morillo de Tou

Morillo de Tou

The spectacular surroundings were matched by spectacular science, with a combination of great talks and posters as well as breakout group discussions and workshops. The schedule was pretty packed, but we made time for some star gazing with local astronomers and a night of traditional Aragon music and “dancing” in the moonlight. Overall, I thought the YSM was an excellent opportunity to meet other young scientists, and discuss issues of particular import to our community.

A highlight for me was the breakout discussion on communication with the public and communicating the relevance of palaeo-science to funders and policy makers. We had some great discussions in our group, centering on the need to engage children in science from a young age. We also talked about the importance of telling a story when you present your work, and how talking to politicians and journalists in a positive, optimistic way can enhance engagement.

We also discussed the idea of setting up a PAGES working group for young scientists, with regular meetings to discuss funding, careers and to network. Watch this space!

The conference venue at Morillo de Tou

I enjoyed presenting my PhD work in the Monday morning session, and received some helpful feedback from fellow YSM participants through a peer review scheme. I think the scheme was a great way to encourage everyone to consider their own presentation style, by reviewing their peers’.

A further benefit of attending the YSM was that we already knew 80 people attending the OSM in Zaragoza, so there were plenty of friendly faces amid the ~900 OSM participants. This made the OSM much less intimidating and more enjoyable. Overall, the organisation of the YSM was incredible and I would certainly encourage early careers researchers to attend the next one in 2021. The only complaint was the cold coffee at breakfast – conference mornings without coffee are a tough sell for sleepy PhD students… but the beautiful Spanish sunshine more than made up for it.

Morning views across the lake at Morillo de Tou

If you’re interested in what went on at PAGES 17 (YSM and OSM) check out the #PAGES17 on twitter for some great insights.